1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to athletic footwear having a combined tongue and strap system which helps secure the foot of the wearer within the footwear, thereby providing an enhanced fit.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the problems associated with athletic shoes has always been the lack of a customized, snug fit. Most conventional athletic shoes have a single lacing margin or eyestay opening closed by shoe lace. This structure does not adequately secure the foot of a wearer within the shoe, as the shoe lace merely pulls the eyestay opening closed, thereby leaving a great deal of open space or gaps within the shoe.
Accordingly, when athletic activity is undertaken in conventional athletic shoes, the foot of the wearer often has too much mobility within the shoe, such that the foot alternately slides forwardly toward the forepart and slides rearwardly toward the rear part of the shoe. The foot of the wearer also tends to have too much lateral mobility within the shoe, such that the foot can "roll over" during athletic activity. In addition, the heel of the foot of the wearer often tends to slip vertically in and out of the shoe. These movements can cause discomfort for the wearer, especially in the toe and heel regions of the foot, where blisters often develop. Also, ankle sprains and other injuries often result when a foot has too much mobility within a shoe. Accordingly, numerous attempts have been made over the years to incorporate means into athletic shoes which better secure the foot of the wearer within the shoe.
It is known to attempt to enhance the fit of a shoe through the use of various securement straps. U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,502 to Barret discloses a shoe having three flexible ties located within the shoe. Each tie is attached to the shoe sole. Two of the ties extend through guides located within the shoe, and exit the shoe through eyelets. The shoe is tightened by pulling the exposed ties and fastening them together. This shoe has the disadvantage of causing wearer discomfort. The fastening ties overlap a substantial portion of the wearer's foot, thereby causing undue pressure and overly constricting the foot. Furthermore, the flexible tie in the rear part of the shoe comprises a thin strap which crosses over the achilles tendon of the wearer, resulting in uneven forward pressure being applied to the rear part of the foot, and causing further discomfort for the wearer. In addition, the flexible tie in the rear applies pressure downwardly towards the sole of the shoe, resulting in inadequate pressure being applied between the instep portion and the heel portion of the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,500 to Maccano discloses a shoe having straps secured to a sling member which underlies the foot of the wearer. The straps extend upwardly and exit the shoe at openings near the lacing portion, where they are fastened together by lacing or other means. Canadian Patent No. 1,124,060 to Higgins discloses a shoe having a reinforcement member with straps extending therefrom. Neither of the shoes described in these patents provides downward pressure from the instep portion toward the heel portion beyond that which a conventionally laced shoe offers. In addition, the Maccano shoe provides inadequate upward pressure from the heel portion of the shoe toward the instep portion, as the tension is applied upwardly from the middle of the base of the shoe, rather than forwardly and upwardly from the heel portion of the shoe.
Attempts have also been made to enhance the fit of a shoe using straps with "hook and loop" or VELCRO.RTM.-type fastening means, as is done in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,864 to Corliss, U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,657 to Antonious, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,419 to Chassaing. The Corliss shoe has the drawback of providing virtually no additional pressure from the heel portion of the shoe toward the instep portion thereof. The Antonious patent discloses a shoe having numerous embodiments, each of which includes a heel restraint having an anchor strap and a fastener strap. This shoe has the disadvantage of applying uneven and sometimes inadequate pressure between the instep and heel portions of the shoe. In addition, the straps in some of the embodiments disclosed in this patent pull unevenly across the top of the instep portion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,631 and 4,245,408 to Larsen teach a shoe having D-shaped eyelets fastened to the outside of the shoe. These shoes seek to pull the heel portion of the shoe forward through conventional lacing means combined with the additional D-shaped eyelets disposed on each side of the shoe. The shoe lace of the shoes disclosed in the Larsen patents is exposed on the sides of the shoe, which is undesirable as the lace can easily become caught on other objects.
It is also known to use a tongue having an integral strap to fasten a Shoe opening. U.S. Pat. No. 205,129 to Packard discloses a shoe having a tongue with a wing or flap, and a buckle which overlies the tongue. U.S. Pat. No. 1,184,013 to Pierce discloses a shoe having an instep-hood with two straps attached thereto. British Patent No. 667,259 to Shillock discloses a boot having a tongue with straps which are stitched to the inside of the boot. Swiss Patent No. 251,105 to Genecard also discloses a shoe with a tongue having straps. None of these patents, however, attempt to secure the foot of a wearer within the shoe upper by providing increased pressure within the shoe, wherein the instep portion of the shoe is pulled toward the heel portion, and the heel portion is pulled toward the instep portion.
Accordingly, prior to the development of the present invention, there was not a shoe which used a combined tongue and strap system to secure the foot of a wearer within the shoe by providing reciprocal pressure between the instep and heel portions of the shoe upper. Further, those shoes which have attempted to use straps to secure the foot of a wearer within the shoe have had such drawbacks as diminished comfort of the shoe, diminished flexibility of the shoe, undue constriction of the foot of a wearer, and uneven pressure applied to the foot of a wearer.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe having an enhanced fit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe which reduces the lateral, horizontal and vertical movement of a wearer's foot within the shoe.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe which provides added pressure between the instep and heel portions of the shoe without diminishing the flexibility or comfort of the shoe.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an athletic shoe having a combined tongue and strap system which helps secure the foot of a wearer within the shoe.